Fisheries of the Farasan Islands (Red Sea)

The fisheries of the Farasan Islands (Saudi Arabia, Red Sea) are described. The fishery resources are exploited by artisanal, investor and industrial sectors. The artisanal fishery consists mostly of line fishing around coral reefs and about half the fishing effort occurs within the proposed marine protected area (MPA). Activities by investor and industrial fisheries sector include line fishing, gill netting, fish trapping and demersal fish trawling. The relevant resource management issues that need to be addressed as part of a planning study for the establishment of a MPA are also presented. The major issues are: (1) the decline in the catch of the artisanal fishery; (2) by catch and habitat degradation; (3) sustainability in the collection of giant clams and pearl shells; and (4) the lack of information such as the importance of MPA to fisheries, stock assessment and catch and effort data. A significant role in the future management of the fisheries has been identified for the traditional representatives of the artisanal sector.

Catching and rearing postlarval cleaner shrimp for the aquarium trade: results from a WorldFish Center project in Solomon Islands

Between 1999 and 2003, the WorldFish Center in Solomon Islands conducted research into the feasibility of a new fishery based on the capture and culture of postlarval coral reef fish for the live fish trade. The work was carried out in two phases: a research phase from late 1999 to the end of 2002; and a “finetuning” phase in 2003. Most of the species were of value to the marine aquarium trade, with very few live reef food fish recorded. The most valuable ornamentals were the banded cleaner shrimp, Stenopus species. Cleaner shrimp were harvested using crest nets, the method being modified with the addition of a solid, water-retaining cod-end designed to increase survival at capture. Grow-out techniques were improved by rearing the shrimp separately in jars to prevent aggression. The jars were painted black to protect the shrimp from sunlight. An economic model using experimental catch data and farm gate prices indicates that the fishery based on shrimp, supplemented with small numbers of lobster and fish is economically viable. The next step will be setting up a demonstration farm in a village in the Western Province of Solomon Islands.

Traditional institutions and their role in the contemporary coastal resource management in the Pacific Islands

A discussion is presented on the role played by customary marine tenure (CMT) institutions in the regulation of fisheries in the Pacific Ocean Islands. Particular reference is made to the system in operation in Marovo Lagoon, in the Solomon Islands, whereby a number of defined clans control resource use within defined areas of land and sea. It is believed that such systems have considerable capacity for handling and adapting to new circumstances, thereby becoming potentially important tools in the contemporary management of fisheries and of the coastal zone in general.

Checklist of the shore fishes of the Mentawai Islands, Nias Island and the Padang Region of West Sumatra

This paper presents a checklist of reef fishes of West Sumatra and adjacent provinces. The list includes 362 species of 143 genera and 46 families and contains seven new records and nine probable new species for Indonesia. It also uses information from sources only available in Bahasa Indonesia. The relative paucity of the fish fauna in West Sumatra seems to be related to the habitat destruction caused by illegal fishing with explosives or poisons such as cyanide.

Length-weight relationship of fishes and cephalopods from the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean)

Length-weight relationship (LWR) parameters of 72 species of fishes and 15 species of cephalopods caught in the Balearic Islands demersal fishery are reported. This is the first compilation of LWR for these groups in the Balearic Islands.

Length-weight relationships of tuna baitfish from the Lakshadweep Islands, India

The present study reports the length-weight relationship of 11 species of baitfish from the pole and line fishery at Minicoy and S. delicatulus from the fishery at Agatti, Bangaram and Perumal Par.

Floating islands: a unique fish aggregating method

A fish aggregating device made of aquatic weeds and grass (Phoom) is used in Loktak lake in the northeastern region of India. It has been used successfully in this very productive fishery for centuries. Today, the fishery itself is under pressure from overexploitation, soil erosion leading to siltation and a hydroelectric project that has blocked the migratory route of the fish that used the lake as a breeding ground.

The Great Albatross Philippine Expedition and Its Fishes

The Philippine Expedition of 1907-10 was the longest and most extensive assignment of the Albatross's 39-year career. It came about because the United States had acquired the Philippines following the Spanish-American War of 1898 and the bloody Philippine Insurection of 1899-1902. The purpose of the expedition was to surbey and assess the aquatic resources of the Philippine Islands. Dr. Hugh M. Smith, the Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, was the Director of the Expedition. Other scientific participants were Frederick M. Chamberlain, Lewis Radcliffe, Paul Bartsch, Harry C. Fasset, Clarence Wells, Albert Burrows, Alvin Seale, and Roy Chapman Andrews. The expedition consisted of a series of cruises, each beginning and ending in Manila and exploring a different part of the island group. In addition to the Philippines proper, the ship also explored parts of the Dutch East Indies and areas around Hong Kong and Taiwan. The expedition returned great quantities of fish and invertebrate speciments as well as hydrographic and fisheries data; most of the material was eventually deposited in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The fisehs were formally accessioned into the museum in 1922 and fell under the car of Barton A. Bean, Assistant Curator of Fishes, who then recruited Henry W. Fowler to work up the material. Fowler completed his studies of the entire collection, but only part of it was ever published, due in part to the economic constraints caused by the Depression. The material from the Philippine Expedition constituted the largest single accession of fishes ever received by the museum. These speciments are in good condition today and are still being used in scientific research.

Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928), Naturalist-in-Charge: the 1906 North Pacific Expedition of the Steamer Albatross

Fishery science pioneers often faced challenges in their field work that are mostly unknown to modern biologists. Some of the travails faced by ichthyologist and, later, fishery biologist Charles Henry Gilbert (1859-1928) during his service as Naturalist-in-Charge of the North Pacific cruise ofthe U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Steamer Albatross in 1906, are described here, as are accomplishments of the cruise. The vessel left San Francisco, Calif., on 3 May 1906, just after the great San Francisco earthquake, for scientific exploration of waters of the Aleutian islands, Bering Sea, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Japan, returning to San Francisco in December. Because the expedition occurred just after the war between Japan and Russia of 1904-05 floating derelict mines in Japanese waters were often a menace. Major storms caused havoc in the region, and the captain of the Albatross, Lieutenant Commander LeRoy Mason Garrett (1857-1906), U.S.N., was lost at sea, apparently thrown from the vessel during a sudden storm on the return leg of the cruise. Despite such obstacles, Gilbert and the Albatross successfully completed their assigned chores. They occupied 339 dredging and 48 hydrographic stations, and discovered over 180 new species of fishes and many new species of invertebrates. The expedition's extensive biological collections spawned over 30 descriptive publications, some of which remain today as standards of knowledge.

Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Catches of Tiger Sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, in the Pelagic Longline Fishery Around the Hawaiian Islands

Thirty-five tiger sharks, Galeocerdo cuvier, have been reported caught in pelagic longline gearfrom 25 to 265 n.mi. off the Hawaiian Archipelago during December 1990-May 1993. Fifteen sharks were caught farther than 50 n.mi. offshore, indicating that tiger sharks do occur well offshore and removed from benthic topography. About 89% of the sharks were caught during October-March, while only 56% of the fishing effort occurred during that period.

The Fisheries of Hawaii and U.S.-associated Pacific Islands

In the late 1980's and early 1990's, significant changes occurred in the fisheries of Hawaii. Expansion and diversification of pelagic fisheries and growth (including industrialization) of fisheries that, in at least some cases, had been largely recreational or artisanall ed to fear of overfishing and problems in allocation among fishery sectors. Combined with establishment of limited entry programs in Hawaii fisheries (bottomfish, longline, and lobster), this led to anticipation that similar growth might occur in Guam, the Northern Marianas, and American Samoa.

Fisheries and Marine Resources of Hawaii and the U.S.-associated Pacific Islands: An Introduction

The fisheries of Hawaii and other U.S.-associated islands in the Pacific Ocean are characterized by high diversity, both in the species exploited and the human cultures that exploit them. The commercial sector has undergone rapid growth in recent years, but recreational and subsistence sectors remain important. Information on these fisheries is generally not available in published form. This paper presents an overview and introduction to a volume of papers describing fisheries in the region, with the goal of making the information available to scientists and the general public. A great deal remains to be learned about the dynamics of these fisheries as well as the associated issues in biological research, fisheries management, and environmental protection.

An Ecological Perspective on Inshore Fisheries in the Main Hawaiian Islands

A description of fisheries within a depth of 100 fathoms is provided for the eight southeastern-most islands of the Hawaiian Archipelago, known as the main Hawaiian Islands (MHI). These are the inhabited islands of the State of Hawaii and are those most subject to inshore fishing pressure, because of their accessibility. Between 1980 and 1990, an average of 1,300 short tons of fishes and invertebrates were reported annually within 100 fm by commercial fishermen. Total landings may be significantly greater, since fishing is a popular pastime of residents and noncommercial landings are not reported. Although limited data are available on noncommercial fisheries, the majority of this review is based on reported commercial landings. The principal ecological factors influencing fisheries in the MHI include coastal currents, the breadth and steepness of the coastal platform, and differences in windward and leeward climate. Expansive coastal development, increased erosion, and sedimentation are among negative human impacts on inshore reef ecosystems on most islands. Commercial fisheries for large pelagics (tunas and billfishes) are important in inshore areas around Ni'ihau, Ka'ula Rock, Kauai, and the Island of Hawaii (the Big Island), as are bottom "handline" fisheries for snappers and groupers around Kauai and Molokai. However, many more inshore fishermen target reef and estuarine species. Two pelagic carangids, "akule," Selar crumenopthalmus, and "opelu," Decapterus macarellus, support the largest inshore fisheries in the MHI. During 1980-90, reported commercial landings within three miles of shore averaged 203 and 125 t for akule and opelu, respectively. Akule landings are distributed fairly evenly throughout the MHI, while more than 72% of the state's inshore opelu landings take place on the Big Island. Besides akule and opelu, other important commercial fisheries on all the MHI include those for surgeon, soldier, parrot, and goatfishes; snappers; octopus, and various trevallies. Trends in reported landings, trips, and catch per unit effort over the last decade are outlined for these fisheries. In heavily populated areas, fishing pressure appears to exceed the capacity of inshore resources to renew themselves. Management measures are beginning to focus on methods of limiting inshore fishing effort, while trying to maintain residents' access to fishing.

Precious Coral Fisheries of Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Islands

The precious coral fishery in Hawaii and the Western Pacific consists of one industry but two distinct and separate fisheries. The first is the harvest of black coral by scuba divers from depths of 30-100 m. The second is a fishery for pink and gold coral at depths between 400 and 1500 m and employs either a human-operated submersible that permits selective harvest or tangle net dredges which are nonselective. The modern history of these fisheries date from 1958 until the present. In this paper the ecology, life history. and management of the dominant species that make up these fisheries are reviewed. Research needs of the fisheries and the economic and future prospects of the precious coral industry are also described. At the present, the precious coral jewelry industry in Hawaii (all species) is valued at about $25 million at the retail level.